


Extending the Olive Branch

by Jarino



Series: Rima Lavellan, Herald of Andraste [4]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Mages and Templars, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-09
Updated: 2016-09-09
Packaged: 2018-08-14 02:11:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,560
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7994830
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jarino/pseuds/Jarino
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Much to Cullen’s surprise, Rima comes to him with an offer of friendship.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Extending the Olive Branch

_“That is not my title. We are_ not _Templars any longer. We are_ all _part of the Inquisition!”_

Shortly after Cullen had been ambushed by the Lord Chancellor, he dismissed the crowd of people gathered near the Chantry and focused on the sniveling man before him. Surprisingly, and to his great relief, it was the Herald of all people who came to back him up. It’s not as though he were afraid of the man or his opinions, but having someone nearby was comforting at the very least – particularly when that person was the Herald.

Suffice it to say he was shocked to find her come to him so willingly, given her tendency to avoid him in the past, but he chalked it up to the disruption that the mages and Templars had been causing minutes before. It was only natural that she would come to investigate.

She stood there silently for a while, seemingly observing their back-and-forth before she chose to cut in. “If the ‘proper’ authority hadn’t completely failed, the Conclave wouldn’t have been needed.”

Her words were uttered with a biting tone, her face a reserved scowl as she addressed the Chancellor. Cullen had to force himself not to smile smugly. It was a nice change of pace to see the Herald’s dislike directed at someone else for a change, and to have it aimed at Roderick was the icing on the cake.

The man retorted in kind, which had Cullen rejoining the conversation once more. Their argument went on for several more minutes before the Chancellor let out an aggravated huff and marched away.

The moment he left, Cullen let out a soft sigh of relief, his hand retreating to the back of his neck. He was already developing a minor headache and he silently prayed that there would be no more squabbles for the rest of the day…

At the sound of someone clearing their throat, he looked up in surprise to find the Herald still standing there. He’d fully expected her to flee upon the end of the conversation, and yet there she was. She must have come to him with work-related matters, he decided. There was no way she would remain with him of her own accord.

“C-Commander…” she began with mild hesitation, her hands wringing in front of her. Why did she seem so nervous? Normally, he would have attributed it to her apprehension around him, but she could have easily left at the opportunity presented to her. No…it had to do with whatever she was about to ask him.

Straightening his posture, he gazed at her attentively. “Yes?”

Rima glanced up at him nervously before her gaze fell to the ground once more. “I was wondering if you…would tell me about the Templars. I must confess that I know very little about them…”

He blinked in mild surprise. Of all the things he’d expected her to ask, that certainly wouldn’t have been his first guess. “Very well,” he said after regaining his composure. “What would you like to know?”

“Well, for starters, what do they do?” she asked, inclining her head slightly. “Or is hunting mages the only thing the Chantry trains them for?”

Cullen let out a small, regretful sigh. Rather than reacting defensively, he did his best to provide an honest answer. “Templars protect against the dangers of magic. Before the Order left the Chantry, that meant serving in a Circle. They were also tasked with tracking apostates or fighting demons inevitably summoned by the weak or malicious.”

She worried her bottom lip between her teeth and glanced away. When she returned her gaze to him, her mouth opened briefly, only for it to fall shut, as though she were going to say something but thought better of it. When she spoke again, she asked about life in the Circles, and so he answered as best he could.

He told her of guarding ceremonies, of reciting the Chant of Light, and of the vows of initiates. He told her of a little boy in Honnleath who wanted nothing more than to protect people. Much to his surprise, she offered him a look of sadness when he told her he was thirteen upon joining the Order, commenting that it was still so young. He found it odd that she was of that opinion considering she was only twenty herself, but kept that comment to himself.  

Eventually, her gaze slowly fell to the ground and she grew silent once more, seemingly deep in thought. After a long moment of silence, she asked, “And why do you think the Templars would make for better allies?”

Once again, he found himself taken aback by her question. It was natural for her to have curiosities about the Templar Order, especially given her involvement in the war, but he had assumed she’d immediately written the Templars off as potential allies.

Clearing his throat, he began, “Well, for starters, Templars are trained to suppress magical energy. If they were able to weaken the Breach, it would make it far easier on your end to close the rift. The mages might offer power, yes, but given that magic was what caused the Breach in the first place, I would suggest we err on the side of caution.”

Cullen half-expected her to lash out in anger at his comment, but instead she just nodded slowly in consideration.

“Not only that, but if the Templars are unable to suppress the Breach like I theorize, their skills would still be invaluable. We face a greater threat of demons than ever before, and the Templars were specifically trained to combat them.”

Slowly, she looked up at him, though he couldn’t quite read the expression in her eyes. “Those are all good points…” She bit down on her lip, pausing for a moment before adding, “Perhaps I was a bit…hasty in my assumptions before. I had formed an opinion solely based on what my Keeper told me, and prior to the Conclave, had never encountered your kind personally.”

He winced internally. He didn’t exactly fault her for lumping him in with the Templars, yet he did feel inclined to reiterate that he was a Templar no longer.

“…I will keep an open mind, then,” she conceded. “I probably won’t come to a decision until after our trip to Val Royeaux, but if it’s any consolation, I have a feeling we’ll be reaching out to the Templars.”

His eyes widened reflexively in response and he knew his look of shock was obvious. “Wait…really?”

Rima met his gaze calmly before her lips curved into a small smile. “It just makes sense, right? The Templars are backed by the Chantry and have a good reputation with the people. If the Inquisition is to earn any support, then gaining their trust would be a good first step, yes?”

“Yes, but…” He exhaled slowly in an attempt to recollect himself. “You shouldn’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with. You’re the one who has to approach them, after all. If you’d rather approach the rebel mages, no one here will fault you for it.”

Slowly, her face relaxed and her smile grew more genuine. “I appreciate the concern, Commander, but we all know I’m only here for one purpose,” she said softly, raising her marked hand as proof. He opened his mouth to argue, but before he had the chance, she was speaking again.

“Besides, nothing will change if I only stick to that which comforts me. It’s true that I would rather we approach the mages, but what will happen if I do? We gain their support, close the Breach, and tension between mages and Templars remains as awful as it was before.” She shook her head before continuing. “No…if we are to bridge this divide, someone has to take the first step and act as a liaison. I am willing to be that person.”

He could only stare at her in surprise and mild awe. As he struggled to think of what to say in response, her body language turned nervous once more. “And…I would like to apologize, Commander…”

Furrowing his brows in confusion, he asked, “Apologize? Whatever for?”

“For being unfair to you,” she answered, gazing up at him earnestly. “Not only was I lumping you in the same group as the Templars, but I made assumptions about your character based solely on my own preconceptions. You are your own person and you deserve to be given a chance.”

Rubbing the back of his neck bashfully, Cullen looked to the ground as he mumbled, “That’s…awfully kind of you…” Her words excited him in ways that shouldn’t be possible, but he did his best to temper his expectations. It would only be painful to hope for something more from her.

Her gaze flicked to the side momentarily before she took a deep, calming breath. Returning her focus to him, she extended her hand and smiled. “If you’re willing, I would very much like to be friends.”

Against his will, his mouth fell open and he stared at her openly. The blush he’d been trying so desperately to control soon began making itself known. Trying not to gape too much, he exhaled slowly before carefully taking her hand in his. “Yes,” he breathed. “I’d like that very much.”

**Author's Note:**

> I was originally hoping to write something for Cullavellan week, but I wasn’t able to come up with anything related to any of the prompts. Given the writer’s block I’ve been having lately, I suppose it’s kind of a miracle that I wrote this at all.


End file.
